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Physical Theatre
Steven Berkoff Bio:
Steven Berkoff was born in East London in 1937. He is of Russian –Jewish
background. His grandparents fled Russia in 1890’s but Berkoff was still influenced
by Russian culture and literature when he was growing up in East London. Despite
coming from a low-income family, he received acting training at the Webber Douglas
Academy. His childhood in East London influenced his perspective on the society
and you can trace this influence in all his works. He started working as a teenager
and felt prejudice attitudes and a significant difference between the rich and the
poor (“Steven”).
In 1968 he founded London Theatre group that is active till this day (“Steven”).
Influence:
Franz Kafka made an impact on young Berkoff. In fact, Kafka’s plays were the major
focus of Berkoff’s theatre group until his plays were recognized. This shaped
Berkoff’s performance aesthetic and reinforced his interest in physical theatre.
(“Steven”)
When thinking about Physical Theatre, there is a long list of practitioners who can
relate to this genre. William Shakespeare has not been directly connected to
physical theatre. However, Berkoff found inspiration in Shakespeare’s works.
Berkoff plays use Shakespearean style of language and some follow iambic
pentameter. Notably, this is an example of how contemporary art is directly
influenced by the classical works (Somebody).
Context:
Berkoff’s Physical approach to theatre has a deep philosophical meaning. According
to Berkoff’s comments on his works, he wants his actors to sacrifice themselves
physically to illuminate the text and achieve the enlightenment (Rosen). This point
of view can be perceived in a more complex way. I think that by making this
statement, Berkoff wants the audience to understand that life requires physical
investments and sacrifices to achieve anything or get anywhere.
Berkovian Performance Aesthetics:
Berkoff rejects the conventions of the mainstream British Theatre (Ralph). Berkoff
breaks theatrical conventions and does not separate circus, mime, dance or
performance. He defies naturalism and sincerely believes that realism is a form of
entertainment rather than a true and meaningful theatre practice (Rosen).
Berkoff uses Shakespearean style of language. This means that there is an iambic
pentameter in his play texts. Berkoff believed that this gives a rhythm that support
the physical movements and gives a performance a flow. However, his language is
made up of ‘low’ English slang and swearing. This is the result of the attitudes that
were formed in his childhood in East London (Somebody).
Berkovian theatre rests on three basic performance techniques: mime, background
movements and repetitive actions (Rosen). Apart from the use of language and
breaking of the fourth wall, Berkovian aesthetic is very similar to the French model
of Physical Theatre (Ralph). Berkovian theatre is a part of the Post-Modern Mime
(Rosen).
Berkoff approach to sound is extremely unconventional for the mime. Unlike the
French mime, which is performed in silence, Berkoff believed in the importance of
sound in a creation of a holistic piece of drama. However, Berkoff does not use any
sound equipment, but rather makes actors produce sound with their voice. Berkoff
explains it by saying that atmosphere can be altered and modified using a sound,
hence if an actor controls the sound, he controls the atmosphere (Rosen).
Visual elements of Berkovian aesthetics are a result of a combination of all major
Western and Eastern Theatre genres. Greek Theatre, Kabuki, Constructivism and
Expressionism all influenced Berkoff’s visual performance aesthetics. Most of
Berkoff’s play are intended for a minimalist set design, however, the minimalism
never extends to other technical elements. Minimalist setting is contrasted by
naturalism or highly stylized costumes and classical French mime face paint
(Rosen).
Examples of costume and make up:
[http://www.iainfisher.com/berkoff/steven-berkoff-trial-3.jpg]
[http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/salome2.jpg]
Set and Costumes
[http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/salome1.jpg]
The purpose of lighting in Berkovian Theatre is to illuminate the stage. Berkoff uses
lighting to emphasize on the performers rather than highlight different parts of the
set (Rosen).
Berkoff explains his minimalist choice by saying that for his art is utter simplicity.
Everything from art to music can be created from bodies. Anything else except for
the bodies is merely interference and distraction. Too much light or too many props
separate the actor from the audience and ruin the intimate proxemics that Berkoff
attempts to create. Despite the fact that originally Berkoff staged his play in a
proscenium arc, his interaction with the audience (breaking the fourth wall) and
non-naturalist approach, gets the audience involved in the process similarly to the
Brechtian Epic Theatre (Rosen).
Berkoff listed out set designers for most of LTG’s plays. He believes that a director
has to be in control over technical elements and that everything has to be altered
and designed during the rehearsal process to facilitate the actors and not make
actors compromise with the designers. Berkoff repeats monochromatic color
schemes for all formal attires, but prefers hot colors for all informal costumes
(Rosen).
Practical Work and Rehearsal Process:
Berkoff has his unique approach to a rehearsal process. He believes that everything
has to be perfectly and precisely choreographed and rehearsed to the point when all
action becomes intuitive. The main technique that Berkoff uses is the conceptual
imagery. He draws a parallel between the way he wants his actor to move and a
living creature or an object. For example, for his production of Metamorphosis he
wanted Gregor to act like a bug. All movements had to be sudden and jerky. Most
importantly, actors body parts had to divided into groups, where forearms were the
front legs of the bugs, knees – the middle pair and the toes – the rear pair. This is the
stimulus that gives an actor good understanding of the director’s vision (Rosen).
The reason why Berkoff goes to such extremes measures is because he believes that
overly exaggerated and sometimes even grotesque physicality can represent the
attitudes and themes of a character much more effectively than words. Moreover,
unlike most plays that are based on text, Berkoff believes that words are there to
substantiate the movements and not the other way around. Physical representation
of a character matters more than a verbal line of a dialogue (Rosen).
Another important rehearsal routine is the development of the motor memory.
Motor Memory is similar to Sense Memory in the realism, however it is defined as a
distinct muscle memory of a particular action (Keefe, Murray 120). Berkovian
performances must be very well rehearsed and the whole point of conceptual
imagery is that it allows actors to utilize their physical abilities to the limit.
However, without remembering how to do this action sequences there cannot be a
sense of rigidity and confidence that Berkoff demands from his actors. The method
Berkoff uses is very simple. Repeating. He repeats the action over and over again to
the point when a physical action comes before the thoughts, in other words becomes
as natural as walking or breathing (Keefe, Murray 126). This is where the recurring
action comes from in the Berkovian Theatre.
The core of Berkoff’s Aesthetics is the French Mime. Berkoff uses the basic concepts
of mime, such as the peripheral vision, motor memory, inner and outer states and
most often – the manipulatory techniques. Maniulatory techniques are a set of
physical accents of sounds, also known as “Clic Toc” techniques. There is a set of
gestures that symbolize a particular action or a sound. Berkoff develops these
techniques to break the realism and show the inner words of his characters (Cross
291).
Works Cited
Cross, Robert. Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-performance. Manchester, UK:
Manchester UP, 2004. Print.
Keefe, John, and Simon David Murray. Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader. London:
Routledge, 2007. Print.
Ralph, Emma. "Steven Berkoff." Emma Ralph's Theatre Studies. Google Sites, 2014. Web. 04
Nov. 2014.
Rosen, Craig, Ph.D. "Advanced Berkovian Aesthetics." Berkoff. Iain Fisher, 2000. Web. 04
Nov. 2014.
Somebody. "Drama and Such." Steven Berkoff Theatre Technique. Blogger, 10 Feb. 2013. Web.
04 Nov. 2014.
"Steven Berkoff." Steven Berkoff. British Council, 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.